The Birthday Surprise
by dennishere
Summary: Juvia has sent Gray on an errand to buy ingredients for a cake. However, Gray did not know what the special occasion was. What special event was Gray forgetting? (Gruvia with hints of Gajevy and Nalu and plenty of brotps)


_(A/N: Semi-AU? ish? Everything is the same, but they actually drive cars. Hahaha)_

 _Crap. Crap. Crap._

That was all Gray could think as he was in line at the local market buying ingredients that Juvia had asked for. He looked at the grocery list in his hand and at the groceries on the conveyor belt, double checking that he had everything on her list. All the items on the list pointed to one thing: Juvia was baking a cake.

Don't get him wrong; he _loved_ Juvia's cakes. However, she only baked cakes whenever it was a special occasion. _That_ was the problem. Gray did not know _what_ the special occasion was. His birthday had already passed, and their anniversary wasn't for another couple of months. Could it be one of the random anniversaries that Juvia loves to celebrate? No… that couldn't be it… Juvia had promised him not to go overboard with those, and even went as far as to promise only two random celebrations a year.

So, what special occasion was he forgetting?

"Ahem. Sir? That will be $32.87."

The cashier's voice brought Gray out of his thoughts. He paid for the groceries, grabbed the bags, and began his walk to the car. He sat in his car thinking about all the different reasons as to why Juvia was planning to bake a cake. Then, he remembered.

Last week, Levy had asked Gray and Juvia to arrive at the guild tomorrow at seven for a party she was throwing. Juvia's birthday wasn't for another eleven days, but it would make sense that Levy would want to celebrate it early, since Gray and Juvia were planning to take a vacation on the exact day of her birthday. Levy probably asked Juvia to bake a cake so she wouldn't suspect anything.

Well now that he remembered about the surprise, all he needed to do was get a gift. He looked at the groceries in the backseat of his car. There was nothing that would spoil or stink up his car. So, he decided to make a quick detour at the Magnolia Shopping District in order to buy Juvia a present.

He walked around the local shops for what felt like hours. He had checked out the local bookstore, but they did not have the novel Juvia had been looking for. He stopped by Juvia's favorite hat store, but none of the hats in stock complimented Juvia's fashion sense. This was turning into a disaster. He had gone to at least five different clothing stores trying to find something for his girlfriend, but nothing seemed right.

He was about to just walk back to the car and return home, before Juvia could question why he spent hours at the market, when a mannequin in the window caught his eye. Well, more like what was _on_ the mannequin. His cheeks flushed slightly as he began to imagine Juvia wearing an outfit similar to the one the mannequin was modeling. It was a bit more daring than anything Juvia would normally wear, but, considering that they had been together for almost three years, he knew that Juvia would definitely like the gesture.

He took a deep breath and walked into the store. The store looked rather simple. The walls were light pink and had white flooring. Racks of clothes similar to the one the mannequin was wearing scattered the store. Gray quickly glanced at the racks trying to find an outfit, so he could get out of the store as soon as possible. He eventually found the perfect outfit for Juvia and sped walked to the register to pay for the gift.

As Gray walked out of the store, he checked the time on his watch. It was getting late. He held on to the little black bag that contained Juvia's present and ran back to his car. He needed to be home soon or else he would not be able to explain his tardiness. He started his car and drove on home.

He pulled up to his and Juvia's apartment building and gathered the bags from his shopping trip. Gray carried the bags up three flights of stairs, before finally reaching his destination. He pulled out his copy of the apartment key and opened the door. Juvia was on the couch in the living room reading a book.

"Well, look who finally found their way home from the market," teased Juvia as she rested her book on the couch. She walked over to the kitchen to move some plates, so Gray could set the grocery bags down.

"Yeah, sorry about that. It took me awhile to find all the items on the list, and there was a long line at the market. They…uhh… only had one register open," replied Gray as he placed the bags on the kitchen countertop. He could only hope that Juvia would believe his lie. Although, he seriously doubted it because there was _no_ way that a couple of closed registers would cause a two hour delay.

Juvia, on the other hand, was too busy getting the groceries out of the bags to question Gray. That was when she noticed the little black bag. _Crap_.

"Oh and what is this Gray-sama?" asked Juvia as she grabbed the bag to look inside.

Gray quickly ran towards Juvia and snatched the bag out of her hands. "You can't look at it," declared Gray.

"And why is that? Oh! Could it be a present for tomorrow?" inquired Juvia with a raised eyebrow. "Juvia wants to see! Please, Gray-sama! Just one peek!"

"Wh-what? Of course not!" defended Gray. He could not believe that Juvia guessed correctly on the first try.

"Don't lie, Gray-sama. Pretty please! Can Juvia at least have a hint," pouted Juvia as she tried to reach for the bag from Gray.

"Okay fine. It _is_ a present for tomorrow," sighed Gray. Juvia's eyes lit up at the revelation. "However, you will just have to wait until tomorrow to see what it is," smirked Gray as he gave Juvia a soft kiss on the cheek.

Juvia puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. Gray loved to mess with her. However, she accepted her defeat and began to put away the groceries.

"Juvia talked to Levy-chan at the guild, today. It seems that everything is going perfect for the party tomorrow. Juvia asked if she could help set up decorations, but Levy-chan insisted that Juvia worry only about the cake. So Juvia will make sure that Levy-chan will love it. Ah, Juvia cannot wait for the party! She even bought a new dress earlier this week. Does Gray-sama know what he is going to wear to the party?" asked Juvia peering at Gray from behind a cabinet door.

"Don't be silly Juvia. Of course I do," scoffed Gray as he handed her a box of baking powder. He saw Juvia standing on her tippy toes trying to place the box on the top shelf of the cabinet. Her shirt slightly rising revealing her abdomen. He chuckled to himself and walked behind Juvia. He grabbed the box out of her hand and set it on the top shelf. Juvia quickly turned around and looked up at Gray.

"Juvia could've done it herself, Gray-sama."

"Oh, I know you could, Juvia. But, I couldn't help myself," smirked Gray as he pulled Juvia closer to him. He gently tucked a strand of her sky blue hair behind her ear and grinned at the sight of Juvia's cheeks changing from their normal pale color to a light pink. Even after all these years together, he was still able to make her blush like a schoolgirl. He could not wait for Juvia to try on the outfit he had bought her. But, that would just have to wait until tomorrow…

* * *

It was already fifteen minutes passed seven, and Gray and Juvia were still at home. Juvia was scurrying around their bedroom looking for her favorite pair of earrings to match her outfit. She was wearing a cobalt blue, knee-length dress with a heart-shape neckline. It had small diamonds around her waist that accentuated her figure. Her hair was in a small bun with two loose curls dangling from the sides of her face.

Gray was waiting impatiently in the living room. He was sporting a dark green dress shirt with a nice fitting blazer and black dress pants that were neatly ironed. He carried a closed, white box containing the cake in one hand, and in the other, a small red gift bag with white tissue paper. On the gift tag, one could clearly see the words, 'Happy Birthday! – Gray.'

It was simple, but that was because Gray was never good at writing on tags or birthday cards. Juvia knew this. Besides, he had planned to write a proper birthday note for Juvia before they went on their birthday vacation.

"Juvia! Come on! We are going to be late!" yelled Gray trying to hurry Juvia up. Juvia soon came running out the bedroom with a black heel on one foot and the other in her hand.

"Juvia is going, Gray-sama! Does Gray-sama have the cake and the present for the party?" asked Juvia as she leaned on the couch putting on her other shoe.

"Yes I do. Now, come on! Let's get going," replied Gray opening the door of their apartment so they could exit. Juvia grabbed the cake from Gray's hand and gave Gray a questioning look. "Don't worry, Juvia. I did not look at the cake. I know you like it to be a surprise up until it's time to cut the cake."

"Just making sure," stated Juvia as she walked passed Gray, who locked the door to their apartment.

Juvia and Gray lived only ten minutes away from the guild. However, since they were already running late, they were one of the last guests to arrive at the guild. The Fairy Tail members may be a rowdy bunch, but they are never late for parties.

As Juvia and Gray approached the main entrance of the guildhall, Levy ran out to greet them.

"Yay! I am so happy you guys made it!" exclaimed Levy. She was sporting a beautiful white sundress with an orange floral pattern and a matching headband.

"Sorry we are late, but _someone_ was taking too long getting dressed," informed Gray while giving Juvia a playful smile.

"Oh, it's not a big deal. I am just glad you guys were able to come. I hope you guys enjoy yourselves, and thanks again Juvia for baking the cake. It really means a lot," said Levy as she gave Juvia a hug. "You can just walk in and place it in the refrigerator. Mira already set aside a spot for it. And I will be taking this, so I can put it along with the other gifts," explained Levy as she grabbed the gift bag from Gray's hands and walked inside the guild.

Gray stood momentarily confused at the events that had just occurred. Levy didn't say anything to Juvia about her birthday. He cautiously walked inside the guild after Juvia, who went straight to the kitchen to put away the cake. No one yelled 'Surprise!' and he, for one, was very confused.

He stood by the entrance of the guild and observed his surroundings. Something was not right… There was a small open space that served as a dance floor in the center of the guild. That was perfectly normal. The gift table was in the corner of the guild and covered in a variety of colorful presents. Great. The tables were adorned with white table cloths and black confetti shaped as music notes. Now that was odd. The stage was decorated with balloons. Good. Above the stage was a giant banner with red letters that read, 'Happy Birthday, Gajeel.'

Wait. That couldn't be correct. Gray could've _sworn_ that this was a party for Juvia. Gajeel's birthday was supposed to be _after_ Juvia's. He mentally cursed at himself for getting the dates mixed up. Suddenly, Gray remembered something and felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. His present. Oh dear God. Gajeel cannot under _any_ circumstances open that present. He needed to get it back as soon as possible. He was about to make his way to the gift table to look for his gift, when he noticed Juvia walking over to him.

"Levy-chan did a great job decorating the guild for Gajeel-kun's party, right Gray-sama? Juvia is sure that he loves it. By the way, has Gray-sama seen Gajeel-kun anywhere? Juvia wants to wish him a happy birthday."

"Isn't that him over there at the bar with Pantherlily?" asked Gray as he pointed a finger towards the bar area. Juvia's eyes followed the pointed finger to a familiar figure. It was Gajeel alright. She could recognize that mane anywhere, even if he did have it in a ponytail. She thanked Gray and walked off towards Gajeel.

Gray watched from a distance as Juvia walked up to Gajeel and lightly tapped him shoulder. When Gajeel turned around, Juvia's face lit up and she wrapped her arms around Gajeel's neck in an embrace. A smile crept up on Gray's face. She looked so happy, and he could not help, but be happy for her and her best friend.

 _Focus, Gray._ He returned his thoughts to his new mission: retrieving his present without anybody noticing. He maneuvered passed several tables and was about to reach the gift table when he was stopped by the annoyingly familiar sight of pink hair.

"Yo, Ice Princess! Watch where you are going, I have precious cargo here!" yelled Natsu as he tried to balance several plates full of food from the buffet table. Lucy was behind Natsu with her own plate of food.

"You were the one who got in my way!" scoffed Gray. He did not have time to deal Natsu.

"I did not! Maybe if you weren't so busy taking your clothes off all the time, you'd know," sneered Natsu. Gray looked down and noticed that his shirt was halfway unbuttoned and his blazer was nowhere in sight. He quickly looked around him to see if he could find his clothes.

"Natsu, will you stop arguing with Gray?" intervened Lucy, "I mean seriously. Can't you go five minutes without picking a fight?"

"I'm sorry Luce, but every time I see that stripper's smug face I can't help it."

"Well your face isn't pleasing to the eyes either, flame brain! Tch. I honestly don't know how Lucy can stand it."

"Will you two just knock it off already? Besides, did you forget, Natsu? I already set aside seats for Gray and Juvia at our table," informed Lucy hoping that Gray heard her invitation to sit with them.

"Thanks, Lucy. But, I have to go do something real quick. I'll catch up with you guys later," replied Gray as he tried to move passed Natsu and Lucy towards the gift table.

"Oh, where was Gray-sama headed?"

Gray flinched internally at the voice. He turned around and saw Juvia standing with his blazer folded over her arms, "I was… just going to go look for you to see if you wanted to sit with Natsu and Lucy."

"That sounds great! But, Gray-sama and Juvia should go get their food first. They can meet up with Natsu-san and Lucy-chan at the table," replied Juvia was a smile. Gray faked a smile and walked with Juvia over to the buffet table. The present would just have to wait awhile longer.

Juvia and Gray stocked up on all their favorite foods and headed back towards Natsu and Lucy. Natsu was already halfway finished with his food, and Lucy was sitting patiently next to him. Juvia and Gray took their seats across the couple. Gray looked around for the familiar blue Exceed, and eventually spotted him with the other Exceeds.

"I really like what Levy did with the guild. It really looks amazing, and the food looks really delicious," said Lucy as she began to eat her dinner now that everyone was at the table.

"Juvia has to agree. Gajeel-kun is very lucky to have someone like Levy-chan," replied Juvia as she dug into her plate of pasta.

"I mean look at them," commented Lucy pointing with her fork over to Gajeel and Levy's table. They were sitting across from each other laughing. "They are so happy together."

Juvia and Lucy went on and on about the couple and their own relationships. Gray had to intervene several times trying, and desperately failing, to stop Juvia from telling embarrassing stories about him. Lucy and Natsu almost choked on their food several times. Eventually the meal became a contest to see who could tell the most embarrassing story about one another, and boy did Natsu and Gray have their fair share of embarrassing stories about each other.

Their stories came to inevitable halt as Natsu and Gray were at each other's throats once again. Lucy and Juvia eventually calmed the boys down, and they continued to eat. The music in the guild began to get louder and the lights dimmed as people began to crowd the dance floor.

"I'll be right back, Juvia. I'll just go throw these away," shouted Gray over the music as he grabbed everyone's plates. Juvia and Lucy thanked Gray and watched their fellow guild members dance. He decided to use this time away to try to get his present back from the table.

Gray threw away the trash in the bin and was on his way towards the gift table, when he was pulled onto the dance floor. He looked at the hand grabbing onto his forearm and followed it up to see the culprit, Cana.

"Don't be such a sourpuss, Gray. Come on, just one dance," scolded Cana as she began to pull Gray towards the dance floor.

He glanced over at his table with pleading eyes and saw Juvia and Lucy laughing giving him a thumbs up. No use in fighting it. Besides, it _was_ a party. The new song came on, and Cana and Gray began to move rhythmically to the beat. They ended up dancing to several songs, instead of just one like they had agreed. The music stopped and the lights turned off, snapping them out of their musical trance.

Levy came out of the kitchen carrying the cake Juvia had baked. It was a white circular cake decorated with red and black sprinkles along the edges and a small dragon figurine on top. The figurine was surrounded by several lit candles. The guild resonated with voices as everyone began to sing the birthday song as Levy set the cake down in front of Gajeel.

Gray used this time to get away from Cana and walked to the gift table. He looked around to make sure no one could see him, and he grabbed the small red gift. Now, what? He wasn't going to be able to _carry_ it. He panicked and hid the gift under the table. The table cloth that adorned the table should be long enough to hide the present until a later time. At least now he knew Gajeel wouldn't open it.

The guild gave a loud round of applause as the birthday song ended, and the lights were switched back on. Gray went back to his table to enjoy a slice of cake along with his friends. Juvia's cake was a major success.

"Ahem. Attention," announced Levy. The entire guild turned their attention to Levy. She was on the stage with a microphone in hand, and Gajeel was sitting in a chair next to her. "Hello. I just wanted to thank everyone for coming to the party. It really means a lot to me, and even though I know Gajeel won't admit it, I know it means a lot to him as well."

Gray could tell that Levy was a bit uneasy being the center of attention, but she was doing a great job. She eventually became more comfortable as other members went on stage to congratulate Gajeel. Juvia was the last person to say a speech about Gajeel.

Gray smiled as Juvia grabbed the microphone nervously and relayed her speech to Gajeel.

"Hello, everyone. First of all, happy birthday, Gajeel-kun," chuckled Juvia. She always did that when she was nervous. She shot a look at Gray, who nodded his head as encouragement. "Juvia has known Gajeel-kun for a _very_ long time. But, when Juvia first met Gajeel-kun he was not the big old softie he is today." Gajeel huffed. He did _not_ become a softie. "However, Gajeel-kun was the only person nice to Juvia back in Phantom Lord. He did not care about the rain. That was why Gajeel-kun became Juvia's very first friend."

Juvia's eyes began to tear up and her voice started to crack. "Now, we have Fairy Tail. They welcomed Gajeel-kun and Juvia, and we have been able to make many new friends. Even though Juvia and Gajeel-kun both have found a special person, Juvia wants to remind Gajeel-kun that he will always have a special place in her heart, as her very best friend. Thank you for everything, Gajeel-kun." The guild cheered as Juvia wiped her tears of joy and gave Gajeel a hug.

Juvia walked off the stage and sat back down next to Gray. She grabbed a napkin from the table and dried her eyes. Gray placed a hand over one of hers and gave her a gentle smile.

"What a lovely speech Juvia. Gajeel is very lucky to have a friend like you," announced Levy as she, too, wiped away a few tears. "Now that everyone has said their speech, it is time for Gajeel to open his presents."

Gray tensed up in his chair. Levy began to hand Gajeel the presents one by one. He received several t-shirts, new headphones, a new eyebrow piercing, a headband, and a new guitar. Gray blew a sigh of relief as Levy announced that all of the presents had been opened.

"Wait! There's still one more Levy! I found it under the table!" screamed Happy as he flew over to the stage holding Gray's present.

Oh no.

"Thanks, Happy," said Levy as she grabbed the bag from Exceed's blue paws. "Let's see. Gray! This is your present." Levy handed the gift over to Gajeel.

Gray needed to do something fast. Gajeel could _not_ open the present, _especially_ not in public. Heck, even Juvia wasn't supposed to open it in public. He was going to tell her to open it in private.

Gray jumped from his seat, startling Juvia, and ran towards the stage. But, he was too late. Gray heard the entire guild gasp in unison. His face paled. Gajeel's and Levy's face turned an intense red. In Gajeel's hand was Juvia's birthday present from Gray, a black leather corset with lots of straps and buckles.

"What the f—"

"No! There was a mixed up! That was supposed to be for Juvia!" screamed Gray as he ran on stage and managed to grab the gift from Gajeel. Juvia's face now rivaled Gajeel's and Levy's.

"YOU ARE _SO_ DEAD!"


End file.
